Heading Down the Homestretch!

Just a couple of weeks ago, with two new water tanks delivered, and the sand to put under them on hand, I was wondering how this was all going to come together? Then, enter my nephew Ben! Ben is a 20 something Cal Fighter who was just got laid off for the season, and was scouting out some work to keep the his wallet plump. Turned out to be a win win situation. Ben has that kind of "can do" attitude that a strapping young man who is out to conquer the world just wreaks of. He has a tenacity that you just hope all the firefighters in California have, because then there would be no lost homes or forests. No problem is too big or impossible to solve. So, the first day out we tackled the spring fed drinking water tank. This is a little complicated because we also have to hook a two inch poly pipe into the hydro generator 70 feet down the hillside. This rolled pipe is somewhat like wrestling with a dragon.....you might know the direction you want to go, but this opponent is big and bulky, and certain has a mind of its own! We actually get it all hooked up in one day and then the test! Yes! 3 amps of continuous power. Mind you, this is not the Hoover Dam or anything, but, this does represent over 70 amps a day. Imagine if you had a really good car battery, and you foolishly left the lights on all day, and your battery went dead. The best intervention would be to put the battery or a slow charge; maybe two or three amps for a day. Miracle! The battery would recharge and be as good as new. Thus it is with this power. On a rainy day, when there is no Sun to shine on the solar panels, the batteries will still be charging so that Lindsay could turn on a light, watch a movie, or maybe work on her computer. All these are within her power means. So it won't be solar power, but rather water power that refills the battery bank.

On the second day out, we set up the 2600 gallon storage tank that will water the trees late in the season when all other water is gone. I was very pleased to get these two tanks checked off my list and now in service. I think two more days will see the "water replacement" project completed!